News About This Theater

The Georgia Cinerama was the last Cinerama to be built in the Metro Atlanta area although there was some controversy as to if it was a “true” Cinerama, since it used single, as opposed to triple projection. Really great theatre just the same with a giant curved screen, 70mm projection and a quadrasonic sound system that just blew you away.

Unfortunately in the mid-1970s it was carved up into two flat screen auditoriums. Since the theatre was built for Cinerama, it did not transition very well into a twin. The seating would cause a crick in either the left or right of the neck (depending on which of the two auditorium you were in) due to the screens not being in alignment with the seats.

The Cinema & Drafthouse group made a go with the theatre after Martin left and returned it back to a one screener albeit not Cinerama. Within year it was twinned again then went dark a short time thereafter.

In your post of May 15 you wrote that the “Martin Cinerama opened just as the run of How The West Was Won was ending its run at the Roxy.”

During my research of the original roadshow bookings of How The West Was Won the information I found is that the MARTIN CINERAMA was in fact the venue in which “HTWWW” played. It was a 30-week run beginning March 15, 1963.

Michael, Be careful assuming this role as it can be a full time job as you found out during the Stonemont Dolby episode. I was not living in Atlanta during the time of HTWWW and had always assumed that it and the other 3 strips played at the Martin. A few years ago at one of our lunches I was talking to the long time projectionist of the Roxy and he told me that the Roxy was the Atlanta home of 3 strip until the Martin was converted. I thought that he said that he ran all of the three strip through HTWWW, but he probably meant UNTIL. I am happy to hear this news as it means that the beautiful 3 strip set up at the Martin did get some first run use.

I never saw 3 strip at the Martin and my only connection to it there was to make use of the A and C booths which had been converted to storage rooms by the time I worked there during its days as the Atlanta. One of the managers I worked for during those days was Bob Carr, who I think you know, or know of.

I saw HTWWW in 1963 at the Ritz Theatre in Birmingham. If you care to check that page on this site /theaters/9396/ you will find my write up on that and some others I saw there. You will also find a link to an excellent website on Birmingham theatre history which has pictures of the Ritz during its conversion to Cinerama.

As for the Martin Cinerama, the first movie I saw there was 2001. I greatly enjoyed your write up on that one from your Script To DVD website. http://www.in70mm.com/news/2004/2001/release.htm Anyone who has not seen this should take the time to read it and enjoy its picture of the opening day ad from the AJC with the Martin Cinerama logo at the bottom.

Thanks for taking the time to make this correction. Anyone who can wade through all of the CT comments to root out these mistakes has my respect and sympathy.

I’m not sure from StanMalone’s lengthy May 15, 2007 article which movie played where, but here’s what I remember:
GEORGIA Cinerama: Mediterranean Holiday, Hallelujah Trail, Battle of the Bulge, Russian Adventure, Grand Prix, Krakatoa.
MARTIN’S Cinerama: 2001, Patton, This Is Cinerama (reissue). After it became the Atlanta, they presented a two-week sequence of 2001 & 2010, both projected on the Cinerama screen. Although 2010 was a 35mm print, it looked OK on the big screen.

I remember this when it was a SINGLE large theater. I also remember seeing the 1973 re-release of THE SOUND OF MUSIC there. It was a MOB scene. Totally sold out. Incredible experience. I also remember seeing the re-release of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE at the Georgia Cinerama. Another film I saw there was BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS.

In later years it became a draft house and was never the same. Last film I saw there was John Water’s HAIRSPRAY. Not the best movie going experience I ever had but an interesting one. I was on a first date and ended up having great sex afterwards.

This theatre was not too far from the TOCO HILLS movie theatre. Someone once wrote that growing up in Atlanta was like watching your past being hauled away in a dump truck. View link

I’ve been unable to find an article devoted to the opening of the house, but Boxoffice of March 29, 1965, said that the Georgia Theatre was scheduled to open with the roadshow of “The Greatest Story Ever Told” on April 14. July 19, 1965, Boxoffice item said that the Georgia Theatre had opened during Holy Week, following a four-week delay caused by weather-related construction problems. The same item said that “Hallelujah Trail” was set to open at the house on July 29.

Linkrot repair: The July 27, 1964, Boxoffice article wit the aerial rendering is now at this link.

The J. Evan Miller collection of Cinerama Theater Plans lists the Georgia Theatre as a 1964-65 project designed by the architectural firm of Brookbank & Murphy, in collaboration with the Cinerama Company. The architectural firm later became Brookbank, Murphy & Shields.